Lemmus nigripes
| Beringian Brown Lemming
(Lemmus nigripes) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Tribe: | Lemmini |
| Genus: | Lemmus |
| Binomial details | |
| Lemmus nigripes (F. W. True, 1894) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Beringian Brown Lemming (Lemmus nigripes) was formerly considered a sister species of Lemmus trimucronatus restricted to St. George Island, Pribilof Islands (Davis, 1944). Genetic studies by Spitsyn et al. (2021) found the mean cytb p-distance between the eastern clade of Lemmus trimucronatus and the western clade, which includes northeastern Asia and northwestern North America, is as high as 7.2%, and they thus they were fully supported as separate species-level units. The western clade of Lemmus trimucronatus is now referred to as Lemmus nigripes.
Description
From Davis (1944) describing Lemmus trimucronatus alascensis, which is now Lemmus nigripes: Sexes alike, but variable in color seasonally; dorsally dichromatic, anterior portion from middle of back to nose tawny, lined with blackish, producing a grizzled tawny effect; rump tawny (winter) to dark chestnut (summer); sides from light ochraceous buff (January to April) through fuscous (May to November); under parts buffy, darkest in summer; antiplantar surfaces of hind feet varying from nearly white (darkened median stripe) to completely black; anti-palmar surfaces of front feet sooty. Juvenal pelage short and somber-colored, sooty predominating."
Museum type specimens
-
Holotype: USNM 59152. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. St. George’s (Saint George) Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Collected 18 August, probably 1883. Dorsal view. -
Holotype: USNM 59152. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. St. George’s (Saint George) Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Collected 18 August, probably 1883. Ventral view.
External measurements
Variation
This section shows some of the color variation present in Lemmus nigripes. The location is provided for reference only. The individual shown does not necessarily represent the only color variant within the local population.
-
NEON01II0. Lemmus nigripes. Adult. North Slope Borough, Alaska. -
NEON01II5. Lemmus nigripes. Juvenile. North Slope Borough, Alaska.
Skull
-
NEON01IZV. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. Utqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska. Collected 19 July 2019. Dorsal view of the skull. -
NEON01II2. Lemmus nigripes. Juvenile female. Utqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska. Collected 14 August 2019. Dorsal view of the skull. -
NEON01IZV. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. Utqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska. Collected 19 July 2019. Lateral view of the skull. -
NEON01IZV. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. Utqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska. Collected 19 July 2019. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 59152. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. St. George’s (Saint George) Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Collected 18 August, probably 1883. Upper molars. -
Holotype: USNM 59152. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. St. George’s (Saint George) Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Collected 18 August, probably 1883. Lower molars. -
NEON01IZV. Lemmus nigripes. Adult male. Utqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska. Collected 19 July 2019. Upper incisors.
Similar species
References
Davis WB. 1944. Geographic variation in brown lemmings (Genus Lemmus). The Murrelet 25(2): 19-25.
Spitsyn VM, Bolotov IN, Kondakov AV, Klass AL, Mizin IA, Tomilova AA, Zubrii NA, Gofarov MY. 2021. A new Norwegian Lemming subspecies from Novaya Zemlya, Arctic Russia. Ecologica Montenegrina 40: 93-117.